Printing plate tension lockups



July 7, 1959 T. R. ZIEBELL PRINTING PLATE TENSION LOCKUPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27, 1956 INVENTOR.

THEODORER-ZIEBELL BY M July 7, 1959 THR. ZIEBELL PRINTING PLATE TENSION LOCKUPS Filed Feb. 27, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2

u R m% mm VZ W-R K E R o M E H T PRINTING PLATE TENSIUN LOCKUPS Theodore R. Ziebell, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor to The Cottrell Company, Westerly, KL, a corporation of Delaware Application February 27, 1956, Serial No. 567,897 9 Claims. (Cl. 101-378) The present invention relates to printing presses and, more particularly, to a novel and improved means for securing and retaining printing plates on the plate cylinders of high speed rotary presses. Heretofore, the practice has been to machine spiral or other continuous grooves in the circumference of the plate cylinder to accommodate plate hooks adapted to travel therein and hold the plates to the cylinder. Also, it is usual to longitudinally channel or here the plate cylinder to receive a series of plate engaging devices, normally operable by a common shaft rockable from one end of the cylinder to bring said devices into and out of contact with the printing plates. These practices are made unnecessary by my invention, the object of which is the provision of a printing plate tension lockup of rigid and simple construction in which plate securing means are carried by removable cylinder inserts spaced across the cylinder surface in predetermined location.

Another object is to provide a lockup of the type described in which the inserts are removably fixed in and with relation to the cylinder carrying same.

Another object is to provide a lockup of the type described in which each cylinder insert carries at least one plate engaging member which is movable with respect to said insert and is removable from said insert without disturbing the latter.

Another object is to provide a tension lockup for printing plates in which the leading and trailing edges of each plate are adapted to receive adjustable plate engaging members carried by cylinder inserts, said members being adjustable from more than one circumferential station.

Another object is the provision of a lockup of the character described in which a plurality of cylinder inserts each carry aplurality of plate engaging means, each of said last named means being-movable with respect to its insert for exact plate registration.

Another object is the provision of a tension plate lockup'whereby the plates are held in position on the cylinder by plate engaging means carried in spaced individually removable cylinder inserts.

Another object is the provision of a plate lockup of r the character described in which the plates are held on their cylinder under constant tension which is determined by the actuation of the plate engaging means with respect to its insert base and plate, said means being individually adjustable with respect to its base and its cooperating plate engaging means.

" A further object of my invention is the provision of a in vertical section showing a plate leading edge and a plate trailing edge secured thereto by means constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates a plate cylinder segment provided with cylinder inserts according to my invention and located with respect to leading and trailing plate edges;

. Fig. 3- is a plan view of a cylinder insert constructed according to my invention (the plate hooks being removed) illustrating a modified form thereof.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a plate hook and its body;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 illustrates an enlarged detail in plan view of the form of invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 8 illustrates an end view of a cylinder insert, partly in vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 9 is an end view of a cylinder insert;

Fig. 10 is an end view of a plate engaging member;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the plate securing means shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is an end view of part of the means for actuating a plate engaging element;

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 12; and

Fig. 14 is a side elevation of the central vertical means for actuating a plate engaging element.

A printing or plate cylinder 1 is provided which may be a plurality of pages long and around as is customary in high speed rotary printing and which cylinder is adapted to have secured to it under tension a plurality of printing plates 2, 3 which may be arranged thereon and with respect to one another in the usual manner. The cylinder bearer is denoted by 4.

. Each plate is provided at its leading and trailing edges with accurately aligned and spaced recesses 5, 6 in the undersides thereof as shown in Fig. 1, located and adapted to receive plate engaging hooks 7, 8 now to be described, which are, by means of a tool (not shown), individually brought into operative engagement with said recesses to hold the plates to the cylinder under tension.

Hooks for the leading edge of a plate are denoted generally by 7 and are movable in the inserts 9 along the longitudinal insert groove 10 which has a widened section 11 adapted to receive the tongue 12 of the hook body 19 with a sliding fit in a tongue and groove relationship. Each hook body 19 is urgeable longitudinally along the groove 10 by a hook rack 13 on the bottom of each hook body which rack engages element 14 adapted to be rotated by vertical worm 15 engaged therewith. The element 14 is rotatably mounted in horizontal position across segment 9, and worm 15 is turned as desired by'inserting a tool (not shown) in squared section 16 thereof (see Fig. l).

The hooks 8 for engaging the trailing edge of a plate arecarried by bodies 20 situated in the opposite end of the cylinder inserts 9 from the hook bodies 19 and are operable in the same groove 10 as the latter. There is no distinction in structure between the hooks 7 and '8 and their bodies 19 and 20 though they are given different numerals as they function on diiferent edges of the plates, and are similarly movable into and out of operative position by engagement of elements corresponding to those carried by body 19. a

A modified form of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4-, 5 and 6 in which the cylinder insert 9 is furnished with a hook body 21, carrying a floating plate recess engaging jaw 22 which is removably held in the body 21 by means of'a shoulder head screw 23. By counter- ,secure the plates under tension to the cylinder.

from plate engaging position. Tunder some circumstances due to the use of bleed plates boring the relief for the screw head in the jaw 22, slightly larger in diameter than said screw head, the jaw is permitted to turn axially when the undercut it engages in the plate. is misaligned, thus permitting the full width of the angular face of the jaw to always engage in the plate ,recess. In the occasional use of double spread plates the jaws can easily be removed by taking out screw 23 and lifting out jaw 22, without disturbing insert 9.

The center worm shaft is, in this form, furnished with a gear 24 adapted for coaction with two pinion gears ,25, 26. Each of said last three gears is operable thru a squared recess therein, denoted generally by 27. It can be seen, that this construction is of advantage with the, use of bleed pages on either the leading or trailing .edges of the plates as registering the plate is possible by 'manipulating the plate engaging devices from any of the offset squared recesses 27, which causesthe hook body to move according to the drive described above with respect to the form shown in Fig. 1.

It will be noted that the cylinder insert is balanced by having the movable mechanisms therein opposed to cured in their respective recesses in the surface of cylinder 1 as by screws 17, 18 so that the plate hooks carried thereby are longitudinally spaced, across the cylinder, the set of hooks denoted generally by 7 being adapted to engage the recesses of the leading edge of a plate and the set of hooks denoted generally by 8 being located to engage plate trailing edge recesses in order to A desired number of plates are placed on the cylinder so as to have sheet recesses engaged by the plate hooks. A tool, not shown, is here inserted into the square recess 16 of the worm 15 and then rotated, causing its hook body to move longitudinally along the groove 10 by drive from the. worm 15 through gear 14 against rack 13 which is carried on the bottom of each hook body. The hook will be guided by the tongue and groove connection set forth above and its pressure against the recesses 6 or Sas the case may be will be determined by the amount of torque applied to the said squared section of the worm.

It wll be seen that I have provided a novel means for securing plates to a cylinder under tension in which the inserts may be reversed longitudinally so that the hook 8 engages recesses and the hook 7 engages recesses 6. It will also be seen that the movable parts are interchangeable for leading or trailing edges of plates and that when both hooks carried by the insert are properly engaged there is relatively little strain upon the insert securing means shown in Fig. 3.

It will also be noted that the depth of the insert is not critical except that it be sufficient to mount the movable parts for causing the longitudinal travel of the plate hooks as set forth above.

It is contemplated that the angle of the worm and gear connection be such that the hooks cannot back off It is contemplated that it would be desirable to have longer travel of one hook along the insert groove which could easily be accomplished by providing a longer cylinder segment.

While the present embodiment shows the hooks traveling in alongitudinal central groove of a cylinder insert it is also contemplated to make this block with its groove off center in order to provide the desired travel for the plate hooks when bleed plates are used.

"A plate may be removed by backing off the plate hook through reversing the rotation of the squared section of the worm previously described. This will decrease the tension, release the hook from engagement with its plate recess and permit the plate to be removed.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a printing plate tension lockup of rigid construction which eliminates the expensive machinery and cumbersome operations which heretofore have been employed in tension plate lockups.

Since it is evident that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention I do not intend to be limited to the specific embodiments herein shown and described, except as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a printing press plate tension lockup, the combination comprising a cylinder, at least one plate adapted to be secured thereto, radial inserts spaced across said cylinder, and a plurality of movable means based wholly in each of said inserts for engaging and holding a plate to the cylinder, said movable plate engaging means being removable without disturbing said inserts.

2. In a printing press plate tension lockup, the combination comprising a cylinder, a plurality of plates adapted to be secured thereto, inserts spaced across and around said cylinder and a plurality of movable plate engaging means based wholly in each of said inserts for holding each plate to the cylinder, said movable plate engaging means being removable without disturbing said inserts. 3. In a rotary printing press plate tension lockup, the combination comprising a cylinder, a plurality of plates adapted to be secured thereto, inserts spaced across and around said cylinder at its circumference, two travelling plate engaging means mounted wholly in each insert, and other means carried wholly by each insert whereby said plate engaging means may be moved relative to the insert, the plate, and other plate engaging means.

4. In a rotary printing press plate tension lockup, the combination comprising a cylinder, a plurality of plates adapted to be secured thereto, inserts spaced across and around said cylinder at its circumference, two travelling plate engaging means mounted in opposed relationship in each insert and means carried by each insert where by said plate engaging means are moved relative to the insert, plate, and each other.

'5. In a rotary printing press plate tension lockup, the combination comprising a cylinder, a plurality of plates adapted to be secured thereto, removable inserts spaced across and around said cylinder at its surface, two travelling plate engaging means mounted in opposed relationship in each insert, a rack on the bottom of each of said last named means, and rotatable means carried by said inserts and contacting said rack to move said plate engaging means into and out of locking relationship with said plates for determining the status of the plate with respect to the cylinder.

6. In a printing press plate tension lockup, the combination comprising a cylinder, at least one plate adapted to be secured thereto, radial inserts in said cylinder,

movable means based wholly in a single insert for holding a plate to the cylinder, and a plurality of stations in each insert for actuating said movable means.

7. In a printing press plate tension lockup, the combination comprising a cylinder, at least one plate adapted to be secured thereto, radial inserts spaced across said cylinder, and a plurality of removable means based wholly in each single insert removable therefrom for holding a plate to the cylinder, said plate holding means being removable without disturbing the insert.

8. In a printing press plate tension lockup, the combination comprising a cylinder, a plurality of plates adapted to be secured thereto, inserts spaced across and around said cylinder a plurality of movable means based wholly in each of said inserts, and removable plate engaging means'in said movable means for holding each plate to the cylinder.-

9. In a rotary printing press plate tension lockup, the References Cited in the tile of this patent combination comprising a cylinder, a plurality of plates adapted to be secured thereto, inserts spaced across and UNITED STATES PATENTS around said cylinder at its circumference, two travelling 670,991 Lee Apr. 2, 1901 plate engaging means mounted in opposed relationship 5 868,263 Goss Oct. 15, 1907 in each insert and means carried by each insert whereby 878,842 Warnock Feb. 11, 1908 said plate engaging means are moved relative to the 1,047,771 Egnor Dec. 17, 1912 insert, plate, and each other, said means for so moving 1,600,351 Merrill Sept. 21, 1926 the plate engaging means including a central worm and 2,069,458 Nelson Feb. 2, 1937 pinion gears engaged therewith whereby the operation of 10 2,506,845 Solomon May 9, 1950 a gear actuates the worm. 2,621,590 Faeber Dec. 16, 1952 

